Newcastle fans react on Twitter to Aleksandar Mitrovic rumours

The Mirror reported on Saturday that Newcastle United are prepared to sell striker Aleksandar Mitrovic this month.

The report claims that manager Rafael Benitez has reservations about the Serbian's temperament, with Mitrovic serving a four-match ban for being sent off on the final day of the 2015-16 Premier League season.

Newcastle lost their first game in the Championship on Friday when a Matt Smith goal on the stroke of half time reminded the Magpies - who had £10 million striker Dwight Gayle up front - that their return to the top flight will be anything but simple.

Perhaps a plan-b option in the form of Mitrovic might have yielded another result on another day, and Newcastle fans are not entertaining the speculation that Benitez is ready to offload the former Anderlecht hitman.

Shane Callaghan

Shane is a Dublin-based sports writer who swapped the football pitch for the press box upon learning that he was better with a pen than with a round bit of leather. Prior to joining HITC, Shane enjoyed spells with Sports Mole and Goal.com among others, while he was also club reporter for Irish football club Drogheda United.